1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pre-loadable cord lock for use on athletic clothing, outerwear, backpacks and other items. In particular, the invention relates to a cord lock that can be easily preloaded by the manufacturer and subsequently easily actuated to grip one or more cords threaded therethrough.
2. The Prior Art
Cord locks are well known for gripping and retaining cords such as elastic cords on outerwear and luggage. These cord locks are typically made from a pair of telescoping members having apertures therethrough. One telescoping member is biased relative to the other so that their respective apertures are not aligned. In order to use the cord lock, it is necessary to load it by squeezing the two telescoping members together so that their respective apertures are aligned. The user must continue to apply pressure to hold the two members together in this aligned state while simultaneously threading the cord through the aperture. Once the cord is threaded, the user may release the pressure that is exerted on the two members. Because the two members are biased so that their apertures are misaligned, they will pinch the cord that has been threaded through the apertures so as to retain the cord in a fixed position.
Although this design has proven to be effective in holding and locking a cord, one disadvantage is that the user must continue to exert downward pressure to align the apertures of the two telescoping members while simultaneously threading the cord through the apertures. Because of the biasing force necessary to grip the cord is relatively strong, a relatively large amount of finger pressure must be applied to align the apertures. Thus, it can be cumbersome to simultaneously thread the cord through the apertures while maintaining the apertures in an aligned position. This is especially true during assembly of a large number of units.
Another shortcoming of the prior art is that there is a risk that the lock can be inadvertently disengaged by someone squeezing the two telescoping members together, thereby relieving the tension on the cord and allowing it to slip. To overcome this, the biasing means of the prior art cord locks is very strong. However, as described above, loading the cord lock against such strong biasing means can be very cumbersome and can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome if done repeatedly.
To overcome these drawbacks, a cord lock that can be preloaded at the time of manufacture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,505 to Anscher. This cord lock has two telescoping members biased against each other by a spring. The internal member has lateral arms that snap into shoulders on the outer member to lock the cord lock into a loaded position. To release the inner member, the shoulders are pressed inward, which releases the arms of the inner member and allows the inner member to extend out of the outer member, thus misaligning the apertures containing the cord.
This device has the advantage that it will not be inadvertently re-loaded after assembly by pressing on the inner member, because the inner member must be pressed below the surface of the outer member in order for the arms to lock into the shoulders.
While this device has numerous advantages, the recessed small head of the inner member can cause difficulty in loading, and lead to increased stress on the assembler's fingers.